Truth Be Told
by Kelby
Summary: Evie finds out some information that could change things for a lot of people. COMPLETED!
1. Default Chapter

****

A/N Hi! My name is Katie. Right now I don't have an email account set up, so I couldn't get onto ff.net under my own name so my friend Kelby let me put this under her name till I get my own email set up. Hope you like it.

Truth be Told 

By Katie

Chapter 1

Evie sat on the bench slowly tying her gym shoes. God how she hated gym. I'm so ready for school to be over she thought. Just a few more weeks. Then graduation. Then marry Steve. Okay maybe first she needed to finish convincing Steve they should get married. It wasn't that he was opposed to it. Evie just knew left to his own devices, Steven James Randall would take forever to get around to asking her.

And he really didn't have anymore good excuses. He had graduated almost a year ago. Just in time to go into business with Soda. Boy was the timing on that good. Soda's kid brother Pony had written that composition about everything that happened to him and Johnny. He did such a good job at it, Evie bawled after reading it. Of course the fact that she knew Pony and everything he and his brothers had been through, not to mention the fact that Johnny was such a sweetheart didn't help. And not forgetting Dally, who was, well Dally was Dally. All of it was enough to just about break her heart.

But something good came out of it. Pony's ninth grade English teacher liked it so much, he sent it out and got it published for Ponyboy. There has even been talk about making it into a movie. Whether that happens or not they still had to see, but the fact of the matter was, Pony got paid for that story. And that helped things out a lot at the Curtis house. The book company even gave him a contract for him to write some more. Evie had never seen Darrel Curtis look so proud of anybody as he was they day they got the letter telling them about Ponyboy. 

Even Steve was happy for him, and Steve never used to like him. It wasn't his fault though. Soda always took Pony with them. And back then he was still a kid. But he'd grown up. That was proven when he gave Soda the money. As a matter of fact, it was Pony's idea for Steve and Soda to go into business together. Maybe that was one of the reasons she liked him. If Steve was still only working part time, he'd never marry her. Now he was not only fully employed, but he owned his own business. 

Steve and Soda were always saying how old man Driscole could have made that place so much better. How if he just fixed a few things, or offered a few more things, then he'd make more money. How if they owned it, it would be different. And they were right.

They had always considered it just talk. Something that would never actually happen. But then Steve graduated high school and when he did, his aunt came to see it. It turned out his grandmother who had died when he was fifteen had an insurance policy. One that left money to all four of her grandkids. Steve, his little sister and his two cousins. The only people that knew about it until then were his mom and her sister. They never told any of the kids, because they didn't want them to have it till they were at least out of high school. And in Steve's case, his mom worried his dad would try and steal it from him, which was exactly what would have happened.

So there they were, after graduation, hanging around celebrating at the Curtis house. It was a double celebration because Pony had just gotten the advance check from the book company the day before. But the last person Evie had expected to see walk through the Curtis' front door was Mrs. Randall and her sister. They came down and in front of everyone, told Steve about the money. Evie had been excited right away. To her that meant they could get married in a year, the day after she graduated. And Steve had immediately started talking about a new car. But his Aunt sort of burst that bubble. 

She informed them all that she had control of the money. Yes, the money was for him, but she had to give it him, and she wasn't going to let him just throw it away and on cars ands stereos and things like that. It was for his future she told him.

That was when Ponyboy said it. All of a sudden he blurted it out. "You guys should buy the DX!" Everybody laughed at that, but the kid was serious. Then he started pointing out how they were always talking about how much better they could do it and the changes and improvements old man Driscole was too cheap to make. He even reminded them that old man Driscole, ever since his heart attack had been talking about wanting to sell the place. But like everything else, he just never got around to it. "You guys could do it. You could make that place really work. Really make money." Ponyboy said with so much sincerity even Steve realized Pony believed in him as well as Soda. 

"Well Pone, that's a good idea, but it would take more money than this to buy the DX." Steve told him, so politely Evie almost couldn't believe it. Steve never said anything that politely to anyone. Especially Ponyboy. 

"I know that. That's why you'd have to do it together. You and Soda." He told him. At that point everyone was listening intently as Soda laughed. 

"Except for one problem kiddo, I don't have any money!" He laughed again. 

"Yes you do!" Ponyboy told him as Darry's head shot up. "You take my book check and buy the DX with Steve!" 

"No way!" Soda told him. "That's your college money." 

"Yeah Pony, it's a really nice idea, but you need it for college." Steve told him. 

"No I don't." 

"WHAT?" Darry yelled at him so loud Evie jumped. 

"Relax, that's not what I mean. I mean I don't need this money right here. I've got three years before I go to college. Use the money now, and you'll have time to make it back!" 

"No way!" Soda told him shaking his head. The three of them had all but forgotten everyone else was in the room. 

"Darry I've already got some money." He reminded him referring to the scholarship the Windrixville Elementary school parents had created for him after finding out about the Curtis brothers after Dally and Johnny died saving their kids.

"But Pony…" Soda said. 

"No! Listen to me! For once everybody's gonna listen to me!" He shouted and at that everyone, including Two-Bit did. "It's your one chance to do something! And have something that's yours! You and Steve can do this! And do it right! And make some money! It's your chance Soda. I'll go to college in three years. I'll get my chance then. This is yours. You have to do it. You have to." 

No one knew what to say. Evie just remembered standing there between Steve and his aunt, totally surprised at Pony. But nothing prepared her for what came next. 

"He's right. You have to do. You need to do it. It's your chance." Darry told him to everyone's surprise. 

And that was it. Next thing she knew, her boyfriend and his best friend were buying the DX. It was rocky at first. It took a lot of work to get it to where they wanted it. Work beyond just the everyday stuff. And the books were a problem in the beginning too, but that had actually turned out pretty well thanks to Steve's aunt. 

She and his uncle were both accountants. That's why she was in charge of his grandmother's money. She helped Steve and Soda figure out how to do the books. But mainly she taught Evie to do it. Taught her enough over that summer that she took an accounting class this year in school. Took it and liked it. Liked it enough that she was thinking that if Steve was gonna make her wait to marry her, maybe she should go to community college and take more accounting classes. She did like math. And she was doing the books for them most of the time. And that was just one step closer to making her Mrs. Steven Randall. If he wouldn't marry her, then he'd at least have to hire her full time.

She heard her gym teacher yelling into the locker for them all to hurry up. Evie let out a long sigh. God how she really hated gym! She started tying her other shoe as she listened to the girls one row over going gaga over a picture of some guy. Evie never remembered be that pathetic over guys ever. Even over Steve. They sounded like idiots.

"Oh he is such a cutie!" She heard the one say.

"And look at all that hair!" The other one exclaimed. 

That was just pathetic Evie thought. God grow up. 

"Oh he is just adorable." Another one said. "How old is he?"

"I know, he is just the cuties thing! He's nine months in this picture." 

Nine months old? Opps! Evie laughed to herself. Okay, gaga over baby pictures was a little different than gaga over some guy. Babies were different. 

"She just sent it to me with a letter the other day. She must have just got it taken." 

Evie realized that was Susie talking. Somebody she knows must have had a baby.

"So how is she doing?" 

"Okay." Susie answered. "She still misses Tulsa. I don't know why. Florida has got to be better than Tulsa." 

Florida? Evie listened. 

"Is she ever coming back?" 

"I don't know. He parents have gone to visit her there, but they won't let her come back here to stay with them, which I think is total crap!" 

"Does she like it down there?" 

"Not really. She says between the baby and her grandparents, she's got no life. She's lonely I think." 

"Ladies will you all be joining us in class today?" Their gym teacher yelled into the locker room. 

"Yes ma'am, we're coming." One of the girls called back. "Come on you guys. Susie be sure to tell Sandy I said hi when you talk to her. And tell her that baby of her's is adorable." 

And then they walked out. Evie just sat there. She didn't know what to do. Susie had been a really good friend of Soda's old girlfriend Sandy. And Sandy had broke his heart big time. Steve says he was still in love with her.

Sandy and Evie weren't close friends or anything. Their boyfriends were best friends, therefore putting them together a lot. So maybe you could call them friends sort of. When Steve told her that Sandy said the baby wasn't Soda's she was really mad at her for doing that to a guy as sweet as Soda. But later after everything had settled down she remembered thinking how strange that was. Even though she didn't know Sandy well, that just never seemed right to her. Never really sounded like Sandy. 

Evie didn't know what it was, but suddenly, she wanted to see that picture. She needed too. She sat there for a minute listening. The only sound she heard was water dripping from a faucet. Quietly she got up and walked one row over.

True, she was a greaser. And true, she had done her fair share of "greaser-type" things in the past. But Evie felt she was getting too old to be running around like a little hoodette. Susie wasn't a greaser. She wasn't a soc either. She was one of those in betweens. So was Sandy. That was the problem with Sandy's parents and Soda. He was a greaser and therefore not good enough for her.

She heard the water dripping from the faucet. Drip. Drip. Drip. If she got caught they'd think she was trying to steal Susie's purse. She'd get screwed and it could effect her graduation. But she had to see that picture. Drip. Drip. Drip.

She opened the locker door and recognized Susie's purse she had seen hanging off the back of the chair ahead of her in history this morning. Quickly she reached in and found the envelope. She pulled out the picture, the back facing her. "Lucas - 9 months" was written on the back. As she flipped it over she gasp as she heard the locker room door open. Hastily she shoved the picture in her back pocket as she closed Susie's gym locker door and rushed out. 

"Planning on joining us today Miss Ellison?" Her gym teacher asked. 

"Uh, yes ma'am." Evie uttered as she hurried into the gym. 


	2. 2

Chapter 2

Evie couldn't wait for school to be over that day. She only had two classes after gym, but it seemed like an eternity for them to end. She sat at her desk, staring at the clock. Thirty more seconds. Twenty more seconds. Ten more seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Bell! She grabbed her books and raced to her locker. Quickly dumping in the things she didn't want, and grabbing the things she did, she slammed it shut and took off down the hall. 

She hit the courtyard with a mission. She could take the bus, but that would take forever. So would walking. And the things that were running through her mind right now were going to make her crazy if she had to listen to them much longer. She scanned the parking lot. She wasn't crazy about her choices at that particular moment, but she'd make do. 

Angela Shepherd was climbing into her brother Curly's car. Evie rushed over. "Angela!" She called. "I gotta get to the DX right away! Can you give me a ride?" 

"Sure." Angela answered for her brother as she climbed into the backseat.

Evie never really liked Curly. He wasn't like his brother. While Tim was a hood, he still respected her as a greaser girl. And the fact that she was Steve's girlfriend. Curly on the other hand, was just a horny, skanky, teenage hood. If Tim could stop getting in trouble, he'd be an all right guy. But Curly would always be a lech. "Thanks. I really appreciate this." 

"No problem baby." Curly grinned. "You come sit here next to me. I'll take you where ever you wanna go.

Evie rolled her eyes. Yuck. "I just hafta get to the DX right away. I have to see Steve. _My boyfriend_." She told him, emphasizing that last part, in case it would help. It didn't. Curly still kept trying to look down her top with the review mirror.

Finally they pulled into the DX parking lot. "Thanks a lot." She told them climbing out as Angela got into the front. 

"No problem baby. Like I said, I'll take you where ever you wanna go." 

"God Curly get a clue." Angela griped at him as she got into the car. "See you tomorrow Evie." She called as they drove away.

Evie gave a hasty wave as she hurried into the garage. "Hey Evie! How was school?" 

"Same as always." She lied. "Where's Steve I really need to talk to him?"

"He had to pick up some parts, and then was going to look at a tow truck this guy just outside of town is selling. Said to tell you if you came by he'd see you at home. Any chance that means you're cooking dinner?" Soda grinned at her. 

That smile of his. That was part of it. "Ah, maybe. I just really wanted to talk to him now. Is he coming back here?" 

"Probably not. Sure you don't want to cook us dinner?" He teased her. 

Evie smiled at him. "We'll see. I guess I should go wait for him at home then. I'll see you later." 

"Okay. Bye." 

Normally she would have hung out at the station for awhile. Ran through the books, did her homework. Hung out with Soda. Just killed time. But today she didn't want to be sitting around with Soda. She was afraid she'd say the wrong thing. But she had to tell somebody. Steve better hurry up and get home.

The walk to the Curtis' house didn't take long. When she got there, Ponyboy wasn't home yet, and Darry was still at work so she walked around back to Steve's apartment. It wasn't much, but it worked for him. Back during his senior year of high school he had been saying how if he didn't get out of his house soon, he and his dad were going to end up killing each other. He always hung out at the Curtis' so naturally he was there when he was bitching about his father. Soda was teasing him about how he already lived with them when Darry joined in. Teasing him about paying rent and everything. Steve told him if he wanted rent money, he better give him a better place to sleep than the couch. That's when Soda joked how he could sleep in the garage.

"You know that's not a bad idea." Darry said suddenly as he thought about it. 

"Yes it is." Steve laughed. "Your garage is full of crap!" 

"Yeah, but the upstairs isn't. I mean it is now, but it doesn't have to be." 

"What do you mean?" Soda asked, realizing he wasn't kidding. 

"Well think about it. There's the second floor loft in the garage. If you clean it out. And clean it up some. There's already water out there. We could get a bathroom put in pretty cheap I think." 

"Really?" Steve asked. 

"Yeah actually I do. They're ripping out the bathroom on this house I'm working on right now. Terry at work, who does the plumbing, said there was nothing wrong with it, they were just putting in all new stuff and were going to toss it. Plus Terry just blew the engine on his car. I bet we could get him to put the plumbing in if you two rebuild his engine." 

"Hey we could do that!" Soda was getting excited. 

"Yeah!" 

"Then all you'd have to do is insulate it and put up drywall. And maybe rebuild the steps. But that'd be it. Steve could live there and pay us rent. Which would be cheaper than getting an apartment. And he's here all the time anyway." 

"That would be so tuff." Steve smiled, looking down at Evie who had been quietly listening. 

"Wait a minute." Soda suddenly said. "What about food? There's no way to cook out there." 

At that Evie let out a loud laugh. Steve cook? Now that was funny.

Apparently Darry thought it was funny too. "Well considering I've never seen him cook a thing in his life, and the fact that he's always eating our food, I don't think it'll be a problem. Plus now he's paying us for it instead of being a free loader."

"This could really work!" Steve smiled. "That would be so cool Darry. You'd really let me move in?"   
  
"Yeah, but you guys gotta do all the work on it. And you gotta pay rent. But yeah, why not." He shrugged. 

"Cool!" 

"Yeah cool!" Soda was almost bouncing up and down. "Darry call your friend. Tell him we'll come look at his car tonight if he wants!" 

They were so excited Evie remembered. She was too. It had meant a place for her to hang out with Steve other than the Curtis' living room. They never went to Steve's house hardly ever. And going to her house was a pain between her parents and her little sister. Plus even then she had plans to marry Steve. She had hoped this would help push him in that direction. Make him more mature, grown up and responsible. But as of yet, she hadn't been able to tell if it had helped at all. 

She walked up the steps to the loft and opened the door with her key. God Steve was a slob. She picked up some of the clothes he had thrown on the floor. Deciding she didn't want to hang out in his room, she got the key and went down and unlocked the Curtis house, going inside. Soon after the phone rang. It was Soda calling to say Pony had called him and was going to the library and then to someone's house to work on some school project and would eat there. He also said that Two-Bit had called him and he was going over there to check on his mom's car which wasn't working. He also said Two-Bit's mom would probably feed him there too, so not to worry about him for dinner after all. Good she thought. That means I can talk to Steve without everyone hanging around. Darry would be the only one home. 

By the time Steve walked in, Darry had already come home and Evie had told him where everyone was. She had finished all her homework. Found nothing on TV. And just about made herself crazy waiting for him to come home. Finally the front door opened. 

"Hey Baby!" He said to her as he kissed her. 

"Hi. I need to talk to you." 

"Okay. What are we doing for dinner?" 

"I don't know. I need to talk to you first though."   


"Hey Dar. Where is everybody?" He asked looking at the mail on the table and picking out his. 

"Steve I said I need to talk to you! Now!" She yelled at him just as Darry was about to say something to him. When she did, he just sort of gave them a look and went back towards his room. 

"Um, okay. What?" 

"Not here." She whispered. "We need to be _alone_."

"Oh…" He got an evil grin. "No problem. Let's go." He followed her out the back door and up the steps to the loft, closing the door behind them. After the door clicked shut he reached for her and pulled her close, starting to kiss her as his hand went up the back of her shirt.

"Steve! I said I needed to talk to you!" She pushed him away. 

A stunned look came over his face. "Oh, you mean you really want to talk?"   
  
"Yes! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" She sat down on the ratty old couch. 

This was weird. Evie was never really like this. Steve got a wide-eyed look on his face as a thought went through his head. "OH GOD! Are you pregnant?" 

"What? No! Just listen."   
  
"Oh thank god. I mean, well, it's just-"

"Save it. But we're coming back to that little outburst at a later time. Right now we need to discuss something more important at the moment." 

"Okay what?"   
  
"Soda."   
  
"Soda? What about him?"

"Well, okay, I was in the locker room, getting dressed for gym, and I could hear these girls talking."   
  
"What? One of them have the hots for Soda? So what else is new?" He laughed, sitting down next to her. 

"No. Just listen to me. One of them was Susie. You remember her? Sandy's best friend Susie?" 

His mood suddenly changed. He had never forgiven Sandy for cheating on Soda and breaking his heart. Especially after everything he'd already been through. And dumping him the week Pony and Johnny were missing just made it that much worse. If he ever found out who she cheated on him with, he'd give that guy a beating to remember. All she told Soda was it was somebody none of them knew. 

"Yeah, I remember her." He said sourly. "What about her?"   
  
"Well she was talking about Sandy."   
  
"So?" He almost spit the word out. Little bitch, doing that to Soda. And here it was, all this time later, he knew Soda was still in love with here. Probably take the little slut back in a heartbeat given the chance. Luckily they didn't even know where she was and she never wrote him back after all the letters he sent her. 

"And her baby." 

"Well dah, she had to have it eventually."

"And they had a picture of it." She said, her eyes going down to her lap. "I had to see it. I don't know why, but I did. So I snuck the picture out and, and just look." She pulled it out of her back pocket and handed it to him. 

"It's a baby."   
  
"Look closer." 

"It's a baby." He threw it back. 

"Damn it Steve. Look at his eyes!" She held it up in front of him. 

"Okay, it's a baby with eyes. What do you want from me?" He got up off the couch and paced a circle in the small room.  
  
"I want you to tell me I'm not crazy. To tell me you think the same thing I do. You do, I know you do. I can tell." 

"I don't know what you're thinking."   
  
"You do too. You think it's his too don't you. You know its Soda's just like I do. That baby looks so much like Soda it's not funny." 

"Okay, so maybe it looks a little like Soda." 

"A lot." 

"So it looks a little like him. So what? That doesn't mean anything." He was getting defensive. 

"Of course it does. We have to tell him. He needs to know."   
  
"No." 

"What do you mean no?" She asked surprised. 

"I mean no. After what she did to him. Why hurt him like that?" 

"Maybe there was more too it?" 

"No." 

Evie glared at him. He was so pig headed and stubborn sometimes. "You're wrong Steve. We have to at least tell him. Show him the picture. Let him decide what to do." 

"No!" 

"Yes!" She stood up and yelled back at him. 

"No!"   
  
Evie crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she wasn't going to win this argument anytime soon. And she didn't feel like fighting about it anymore either. Screw Steve. He'll get over it. "Fine! You don't want to tell him then we won't tell him." She turned and opened the door.

"Then where are you going?" He asked as she stared down the steps.

Evie looked back at him for a second. It was now or never. Steve didn't want to be the one to tell him fine. But somebody had to. She hurried down the steps. "To tell Darry!"   
  
"What!" He rushed after her. 

Evie heard him coming down the steps as she swung open the back door. Steve was cussing up a blue streak trying to get to her. "Darry! Darry come here quick! Darry!" 

"What's the matter? What's wrong?"   
  
"Damn it Evie don't you dare say-" His words cut off as he came around the corner and was face to face with Darry.

Darry didn't know what was going on, but it wasn't good. Steve was screaming at Evie and she was running away from him. He couldn't imagine Steve would ever hit her, but something was definitely not right. "What's going on? Evie are you okay?" 

"Yes, I just-"

"Don't do it Evie!" 

"Steve we have to! You have to! He has to know!" 

"What are you two talking about?" Darry asked, a little gruffer than he meant. 

"Please Steve. He needs to know. He needs to try and talk to her. He still loves her and you know it." 

Steve slid into the kitchen chair, running his finger through his hair. "I just don't want to see him get all hurt again by her." 

Darry was patiently waiting to find out what was going on. It obviously wasn't what he first thought, but he had no idea what it was. He watched Steve sigh and nodded at Evie to continue. She started to tell him about her gym class and pulled out the picture for him to look at. "So how did you get the picture?" 

"I stole it out of her purse."   
  
"Evie!" 

"Well I had to get it somehow!" Darry just shook his head at her and she continued. "You see it don't you? I'm not crazy. Look at his eyes. And his nose. The way he grins." 

Darry let out a long sigh and sat down. She was right. That baby looked an awful lot like Sodapop. An awful lot. "Why would she lie? I know he asked her marry him. Why lie and say it was somebody else's?"   
  
"Cause she was a little slut and didn't know who's it was?" Steve offered only to receive glares from both of them. 

"I don't know. Honestly, when she first told him, I couldn't get over the fact that she had cheated on him. I mean it just didn't sound right. It didn't seem like something she would do. I know I wasn't like best friends with her or anything, but I knew her some. God we were together all the time. She just never seemed like the type. And I really thought she was so in love with him. That's why the whole thing surprised me so." 

"But then why lie to him about it and tell him it's not his?" Darry asked, setting the photo down on the kitchen table

"I don't know. Maybe she figured everybody would be better off that way." She shrugged. "But more importantly, what do we do now? I say we tell him." 

"And I say we don't!" Steve grumbled. 

Just then the door opened and in walked Ponyboy walked in. "Hey! What you guys doing?"   
  
"Nothing." Steve mumbled. 

"Nothing." Evie tried to blow it off.

"Nothing." Darry told him.

"Right." Pony said sarcastically, not believing them.

"Did you finish your homework?" Darry said trying to avoid the subject at hand.

"Yeah, it's all done. So what are you guys doing just sitting in here looking all serious for?"   
  
"We told you, nothing." Darry said as he thought about what they should do. 

"Fine, don't tell me. What else is new around here?" Ponyboy mumbled as he pulled the milk from the fridge and poured it into a glass. He looked over at the picture on the table. "What are you doing with one of soda's baby pictures?" 

At that Darry's head shot up. Even Pony thought it looked like Soda and he didn't even know what they were talking about. That made up his mind for him. He looked at Evie and Steve. "We tell him."


	3. 3

A/N Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I'm glad you all are liking this. 

Chapter 3 

"So it's really Soda's baby?" Pony asked Darry. 

"It looks like it."   
  
"But why did she lie to him? Why didn't she just tell him?" 

"Because she-" Steve started but was cut himself off after the looks that Evie and Darry gave him.

"We don't know." Darry told him, sitting back down at the table. "But we gotta tell him." He saw the look on Steve's face. "We have to Steve. He's got a right to know. What he does with it is up to him, but he needs to know." 

"Bitch." 

"Steve!" Evie yelled at him.

"Okay, at the moment she's not my favorite person either, but what we think doesn't matter."

"Wow. Soda really has a kid." Pony said again, shaking his head as he poured cereal into a bowl. "What do you think he'll say?" 

"I don't know. But I don't think we all need to be staring him down when we tell him. And Steve if you're just gonna give him a hard time, or bad mouth Sandy…" 

"I know, I know." Steve grumbled. 

"That's them." Evie said, walking back into the kitchen from the living room. 

"Okay. Pony you take Two-Bit upstairs for a while." 

They all sat there for what seemed like the longest minute while they waited for Soda and Two-Bit to walk into the house. Finally the door opened and in they walked laughing at some unknown joke Two-Bit had been telling. 

"Hey!" Soda said, still laughing. 

"Hey Soda." Darry said softly.

"So what you all doing?" Soda asked. "Steve did you see that tow truck? Is it in decent shape? Are we gonna get it?"

"Um, I don't know." He mumbled. "We can talk about it later." 

Darry looked to Ponyboy and nodded. "Hey Two-Bit, come upstairs, I got something to show you." Pony said as he stood up, still eating his cereal and walking toward the steps.

Darry waited till Two-Bit had followed Ponyboy upstairs before he spoke. "Um, Soda we gotta talk to you about something." 

"What's up?" He asked, suddenly not liking the way they were all acting. None of them would look at him. Steve looked really mad and was biting at his nails. Evie kept looking back and forth between Darry and Steve. And Darry kept looking at the floor. 

"Look Evie, Evie sort of found out something today. Something you need to know about. Something about Sandy." 

****

After awhile Ponyboy and Two-Bit came downstairs. Darry was sitting in the kitchen paying bills. "Hey." Pony said softly. "Where is everyone?" 

Darry looked up. "Steve and Evie went to get something to eat. Soda's on the front porch." 

"Should I go talk to him?" Pony asked. 

"No. I think he wants to be alone right now. He'll find you if he wants to talk." 

"So you all really think it's his kid?" Two-Bit asked. 

"Looks a lot like him. A lot like him when he was a baby." Darry told him, putting the bills away.

"What did he say?" Pony asked, putting the bowl he'd been eating cereal out of earlier in the sink.

"Not a whole lot. I think he was a little stunned. I mean he'd kinda come to accept the fact that she had cheated on him and the baby wasn't his. And the fact that she was gone from his life forever." 

"Wow. So what's he gonna do?" Two-Bit asked, pulling a beer out of the fridge.

"I don't know. I don't think he even knows yet." 

****

Soda sat out on the porch in the dark. He could hear Darry talking to Pony and Two-Bit but he couldn't hear what they were saying. He didn't really care. He knew they were talking about him. Him and Sandy. Him, Sandy and their baby. Lucas. He had a kid and his name was Lucas.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe he had a kid. Or that she had lied to him. He loved her so much and she lied to him. Why? Because he was some low life greaser who wasn't good enough for her that's why. Wasn't good enough for her or their kid. That's why her parents always hated him, because he was just some high school dropout greaser. Her father always thought he was a loser and he hated Sandy having anything to do with him. He always wanted her to break up with him. Break up with him and date some nice Soc. And that's what he figured she did. Dated some rich Soc and that's who got her pregnant. At least that's what she had said. I mean we didn't even do it _that much_ he thought to himself. Of course it only takes once. And never in a million years did he ever think she had been cheating on him. 

God he was so confused. Confused. Angry. And sad. Yeah he realized sad. Here he had a kid it looked like and he was never gonna get to see him. Never meet him. Soda would have done anything to see his own father again, and here he was a father and he was never going to see him. The irony of that almost made him cry. His head hurt from thinking about it all. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to yell and scream and throw things, but at the same time he just wanted to curl up into himself and be left completely alone.

It was still warm out for as late as it was getting. He just sat on the porch. He even tried to stop thinking. To just sit. Trying not to let all the thoughts that had been plaguing his mind for the last hour back in. It wasn't working. All he could think of was that he had loved her. Loved her and she lied to him and left him alone. And left with his baby and he'd never see him. 

Somewhere down the street someone had their windows open. Soda could hear the music drifting out. He wished he couldn't, but he could. He couldn't remember the name of the song, but he remembered dancing with Sandy to it. He remembered the powder blue sweater and darker blue skirt she wore that night. He remembered how her long blonde hair was pulled back off her face with a headband. How it smelled like vanilla. And how her lips tasted so sweet when she kissed him. And how he never wanted to lose her. And then he remembered how she was gone. 

He loved her and she was gone. At that he silently got up and walked into the house, silently walking past his brothers and Two-Bit in the kitchen and going upstairs to his room. It wasn't until after the door was shut and he had taken off his shoes and sat on the bed that he sat and just stared at the nightstand for a minute. Finally he opened the drawer. There, inside was a cigar box. He carefully lifted it out and opened the lid. Taped to the inside cover was a school picture of Sandy that she had given him when they first started going out. In the box where other pictures of her too, along with some of the notes she had written to him while they were dating. He picked through the items in the box till finding the picture he was looking for. One of the two of them. His arms around her waist as they both smiled. 

He picked up the picture and just looked. At that point he silently started crying. He had been in love with her. She lied to him, but he had been in love with her. She said she cheated on him, but he had been in love with her. She left him, but he had been in love with her. He wiped the tears off his face with his sleeve. He had been in love with her. He knew then he still was in love with her. He always had been.

****

Evie sat at the Curtis' kitchen table paying the DX bills. It looked like they were really having another good month. They had gotten past that putting money out point and now were working on the money starting to come back in. She had just written the check for Ponyboy when she heard him come up the front steps and start to unlock the front door. Evie quickly put the check into an envelope. Pony didn't know it, but Soda had Evie take part of his pay check and put it into an account they had set up for his college fund. That way, he'd had already started paying him back the money Pony had given him. Evie shook her head thinking about it. The Curtis boys were really close. Closer than any brothers she knew. Granted they had to be after all the hell they had gone through the last couple of years, but she had a feeling they'd have been that close even if their parents or Johnny and Dally had never died. 

"Hey Evie. What you doing?" He asked, going straight for the fridge. "What that smell? It's great!" 

Evie almost had to laugh. God that boy eats a lot. It's like a continuous meal. She knew he ran track and everything, but that was done for the year. It just makes her laugh. Sometimes it seemed when she'd be here to eat, they wouldn't even done cleaning up from dinner and he'd be making himself a bowl of cereal or something. "Chocolate and chili." She saw the look on his face. "Relax, they're not together. I just noticed you were out of chocolate cake, so I made one and I made chili for dinner."

"Oh. That's cool. What's all that?"

"Just the books." 

"What are you doing them here for? You usually do that at the station." He said, biting into an apple as he looked into the chili pot. 

"Yeah well, there's more room here. Plus I just didn't feel like dealing with Steve today." 

"Oh." Pony said softly, looking at the floor. "I wish everybody would start acting normal again." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, I don't know. Everybody's acting weird. I mean it's been over a week. Soda's still not talking. He just mopes around. And everybody else is all mad at everybody. I just wish it would go back to normal." 

"Everybody's not mad at everybody." She told him. 

"Yes they are. You're mad at Steve. Steve's mad at you for finding out. Steve's mad at Darry for telling Soda. Steve's definitely mad at Sandy. I think he's even mad at Soda for moping around over her. Plus he gets mad a Two-Bit every time he tries to joke around and make everybody happy and nobody seems to want to be happy right now. It sorta seems like the only person Steve's not mad at right now is me, and I got to tell you, that just feels pretty weird too." 

Evie got a slight grin at that. The kid was right. And Steve not being mad at him was a definite change. "I know. I'm sorry I screwed everything up. It's all my fault."

"No it's not. It was a good thing you found out. Otherwise he'd never know. And he's better off knowing." 

"I hope so. I just wish Steve would get off everybody's back." 

"Darry said it's just because he didn't want to see Soda get hurt by her again." 

"I know, and he's right. Nobody wanted to see Soda get hurt by her, but I really thought he needed to know." She sighed. 

"He did." 

"Has he talked to you guys about it at all?" 

"No, not really. I wish he would. I wish he'd do something." 

"Well, maybe getting away from here with you guys will help. Are you still going camping?" 

"I asked Darry that last night. He said that he promised me the three of us would go camping when school was out and that's what we're going to do. Just the three of us. Plus he said the same thing as you, maybe getting away from here would help Soda." 

"Good. Well, you've only got two weeks of school left. Then we're all done." 

"Yup!" He grinned. "What's that?" He reached down and pulled out a large envelope that was partially under a stack of papers. He recognized the logo on the return address as the Tulsa Community College. 

  
"Um, nothing." She started to pull it away, but he pulled it out of her reach and opened it. 

"Dear Miss Ellison, We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted into the fall semester of Tulsa Community College. Evie that's great! I didn't even know you were going to apply."   
  
"Yeah, well, getting in is one thing, going is another." 

"What do you mean?" Pony sat down at the table. 

"Okay, you have to promise not to tell anybody." Pony nodded. "Okay, well you know," she shrugged, "I'm graduating in two weeks. It doesn't look like Steve's in any great rush to marry me or anything and I don't know what else to do with my life. Besides, I kinda like this accounting stuff." 

"That's great! Congratulations. But why didn't you tell anybody?"

"Cause it probably won't happen." She said somewhat sourly. 

"Why not?" 

"Well, let's just say my father isn't thrilled with the idea of 'wasting his money' as he calls it. He suggested I just go get a job at the grocery store or something." 

"I'm sorry Evie." 

"Thanks kiddo." She could tell he was sorry for her. "It'll be okay. Something will work out." 

They sat there for a few more minutes while she finished cleaning up. "What time are Steve and Soda coming home?"   
  
"I don't know. Steve said he was going to work late tonight. That way he would be done early tomorrow. I guess he wants to go out. Or maybe take Soda out. I don't know." She sighed. 

"Oh." He nodded. He watched her get up and take the cake out of the oven. The smell of warm chocolate cake started to permeate the room. Pony breathed it in deeply as he swallowed his last bite of apple. "You know, since Steve moved in over the garage, you're here a lot."

"Sorry." She let out a small laugh. 

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Pony started to blush. 

"I know, I was just teasing you." 

"No, I meant, well I meant that yeah, you're here a lot, but it's kinda nice having you here. It's nice having somebody here once in awhile when I come home from school. I mean me and Johnny used to come and hang out and all, but it wasn't the same as this." 

Evie just looked at him for a second. She felt so bad for him. "You miss your mom don't you?" 

His eyes went to the table. "Yeah. Sometimes a lot. Like when I come home and nobody's here. I miss my dad too. Everything would be so much different of they were still alive." 

"I know." 

"No you don't." He shook his head. "I used to be really mad at them for dying. Then I started to get used to it and everything. I was still mad, more at that they were dead, and less that it was their fault. Then Johnny and Dally and everything happened. And I got mad at them all over again." 

"What do you mean?" She softly asked him. Sometimes she forgot the poor kid was only going on sixteen at the end of the summer.

"Well, if my mom and dad hadn't died, then Darry would have gone to college and me and him wouldn't have been fighting all the time and gotten into it that night and then all that stuff wouldn't have happened in the park. And then Johnny and Dally wouldn't have died." He turned his head away and tried to wipe away the tears that had formed in his eyes before she saw. "And just everything would be different."

Evie knew he was crying, but didn't let on she knew. "Yeah, I guess it would, but you can't be mad at them. None of them. It wasn't their fault. Especially your parents." 

"I know. I mean I really do. But sometimes, it just feels better to be able to blame someone. You know?" 

Evie shook her head. She did. That was part of what was going on with Steve. He needed to blame someone for Soda being so upset. One of those someone's was her at the moment. And all she could do was hope he'd get over it.


	4. 4

Chapter 4

Ponyboy slowly walked home from where the school bus dropped him off. He hated taking the school bus. He really shouldn't complain and he knew it. This was really the first year he'd had to take it since he entered seventh grade. Even back then, he'd always had a ride. The Junior High was right behind the High School. So back then he would still ride with the guys, they would just drop him off there first. Then when he went to high school, he and Johnny always rode with either Steve, Two-Bit or Dally. Eventually, 

Two-Bit did actually graduate from high school. And then Steve graduated last year. Every once in awhile he would come by and pick up Evie, and then Pony could ride home with them. But most of the time Steve worked and Evie got rides from her girlfriends. Most of the time this year he'd had to ride the bus home. Sometimes Curly Shepherd drove him home or some of his other friends. That was the real problem. Pony was a year younger than everyone else in his class so they all had their driver's licenses. 

He walked down his street and saw Steve's car parked in front of the house. Evie must be over doing the books again. He was somewhat surprised to see her, seeing as she was graduating tomorrow night. But since they had talked that day, he realized she'd been over a lot. She said it was just easier to do the books here at the house then at the DX. Steve and Soda weren't always bothering her or getting in her way and she had more room. But Pony wondered if there was more to it than that.

"Hey Evie." He called as he walked into his house. 

"Hi Pony." She watched him toss his bag down on the couch and plop down next to it. "So, one more day! Then I graduate and you're a senior!" 

"Great. I'll be the only Tulsa High senior still riding the dumb bus." He grumbled.

"What are you talking about?" She laughed as she sat down in the living room with him.

He just looked at her for a second. "Okay, think of it this way, you managed to leave school, get to the DX, get Steve's car and get here. All before I could get home on the school bus." He rolled his eyes. "And soon I'm gonna be a senior and I'll be the only one without my driver's license." Pony knew he was being somewhat dramatic, but at the moment he felt entitled. Everybody else had been having their great drama moments. Soda, Steve, even Darry over the whole Soda thing. Pony figured he should be allowed too.

"You turn sixteen right after school starts!" She laughed. "You'll get it then."   
  
"Not at the rate I'm going. I've had my permit for a month. Do you know how many times I've gotten to drive anywhere? Once. One lousy time. Darry's too busy. Plus I think it sort of stresses him out. And Soda's, well, Soda's still stuck on the whole Sandy thing. So yeah. Once." 

"Well, what about Two-Bit? It's not like he's got all that much to do." 

"Yeah well, I said something about that and Darry said he preferred I not learn how to drive with Two-Bit. And not to be picky or anything, but I kinda think he's right. And while Steve is acting a little more normal, I'm not that brave either." 

Evie felt bad for him. "What about me? I can take you."   
  
"You would?" He sat up some. 

  
"Sure. Why not. I've got Steve's car. Come on let's go. But let's not mention it to Steve. If he finds out that's okay, but let's not just tell him."   
  
"No problem." He jumped up and waited for her. "This is so cool of you Evie. Thanks so much."

"No problem." She got her purse and the keys and they walked out the door.

*****

"See you weren't that bad. Actually you did pretty good, all things considered." 

  
"What do you mean?" He laughed as he pulled up in front of his house. 

"Well I just mean, considering who you're used to riding with and the fact that Two-Bit, Steve, and Soda aren't exactly the poster boys for the DMV." 

"This is true. Thanks Evie. You really didn't have to do this, but I appreciate it. I don't know what I'm getting so worked up over anyway. License or not, it's not like I can get a car or anything." 

"You never know. Steve and Soda see some pretty good deals come through the station. And I know Soda would love to get you a car. Between the two of them they can fix just about anything they could find for you." 

"Yeah, that'd be tuff." He smiled, getting out of the car as Darry stepped out onto the porch. 

"Do I even want to know what you two were doing?" He asked.

Pony just sort of looked at him guiltily as Evie walked right by him into the house. "I was teaching him how to drive." She said nonchalantly.

"I see." He said with a little grin before turning to Ponyboy. "Did you finish your homework?"   
  
"Darry, tomorrow's the last day of school. I don't have any homework." He told him heading into the kitchen.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Habit." 

"Bad habit." He mumbled as he dug through the fridge.

Darry laughed at him. "So Evie tomorrow's the big graduation." 

"Yup. As of Friday night at eight o'clock I'm free and clear. At last." She grinned. 

"So what are you going to do then?"

Evie shrugged. "Get a job." She said somewhat disappointedly.   
  
"But I thought…" Pony stopped, remembering he promised not to say anything about the community college. 

"Nope. Just get a job." She said sadly sitting back down at the kitchen table.

Pony could tell she was really disappointed. He felt bad for her, but he didn't know what to say.

"So when are you guys leaving to go camping?" Evie asked Darry, trying to change the subject. 

Darry turned around from the pot on the stove he was stirring. "Saturday morning." 

"That's good. You guys will have fun. It will be good for you to get away."

Darry nodded as he noticed Pony biting into an apple. "Ponyboy do you see me cooking dinner? What are you eating for?" 

"I'm hungry." He shrugged, walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. 

"That boy, I swear…." Darry mumbled to himself as Evie laughed. "What?" 

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's just funny. I mean I always thought of him as a little kid. And he's not. Not anymore." 

"Yeah, tell me about it." Darry said stirring the pot again. "Hey Evie can I ask you something?"   
  
"Sure. What's up?"   
  
"Well, you and Pony kinda talk a lot it seems like right?" 

"Well, sorta I guess. I mean I'm here a lot when he gets home. So it's just the two of us. So yeah, we talk sometimes." 

Darry nodded. "Is he okay?"

Evie thought about that for a second. "Well, yes and no." She saw the look on Darry's face. "No, I mean yes he's okay. It's just all this stuff going on right now. You know, with Soda still acting so weird. Which makes you act weird. And Steve's still being a jerk. And I think he just doesn't know what to do. And today was just a thing about how he's younger than everybody in his class and all his friends have their licenses and how you guys have been too busy to take him driving on his permit." 

"Oh. Well thanks for taking him out. I'm guessing we aren't mentioning to Steve what may or may not have happened to his clutch during that little trip?"   
  
"Probably a good idea." She laughed. "And you're welcome." 

"Can I ask you something else?" She nodded. "Has Soda said anything to Steve? About Sandy and the baby?" 

Evie shook her head. "No. And it's making him crazy. He wants him to just get over it. But Soda can't." 

"I know. He hasn't said anything to me either. He just comes home, eats and pretty much just goes to his room. I wish he'd say something."

"I know. But he's got to work through this in his own time." She told him. 

*****

Ponyboy sat in his room digging through papers and stuff from the almost ended school year. He had stuff all over the place and he hadn't even started packing to go camping yet. Thank god Soda had moved out of his room. Pony's room had always been the smallest. Darry and Soda had always shared the bigger room until his parents died. More accurately until Pony had started having such bad nightmares about his parents dying that Soda had moved in with him. It would have made more sense for Darry to move into his small room and Pony to move in with Soda, but he heard Darry telling Soda how he didn't want to do that. How Pony had been through enough. He wanted to keep things as normal as possible for him. That meant keeping his room. Soda just needed to deal with it for awhile. Soda stayed with him for over a year. Gradually, Soda started sleeping on the couch downstairs. Saying there wasn't enough room for the two of them in Pony's little bedroom anymore. Truthfully there wasn't, but he didn't really think that was it. Soda was trying to see if Pony was okay without him in there. Pony knew he was. And Soda knew he was. But neither of them wanted to take the chance of thinking they were rejecting the other. So it was a gradual thing. That eventually turned into a Darry thing of why are you always sleeping on the couch. But Pony knew Darry knew what was going on too. Darry finally said it was stupid that Soda was sleeping on the couch and no one was sleeping in Mom and Dad's room. So he moved in there and Soda moved back into his old room next to Pony.

He was still sitting there going through papers and things when he heard Soda and Steve come in the front door. He couldn't help but hear them the way they were yelling at each other.  
  
"Damn it Soda! I'm tired of this! Just get over it!" 

"Shut up Steve!" Soda yelled back as he stomped up the stairs. 

Pony stood in his open bedroom door as Soda stormed past, closely followed by Steve. 

"No! I won't shut up! You've been moping around over her for over three weeks. She's gone. She took off! She's not worth it!"

Soda spun around and slammed Steve into wall behind him. Pony had never seen Soda like that before. Especially with Steve. Steve had a good four inches on Soda, but he was so stunned by Soda's reaction he didn't put up any fight against him.

"Shut up Steve! Just shut up! Don't you ever say that about her again!" He yelled. "And stop telling me to get over it! I'm tired of everybody telling me to just get over it! I can't get over it okay! I can't! I loved her! She left me! She had my kid and she left me! And I don't know why! I don't know why she left! I don't know why she lied to me! And I don't know why she never told me it was my kid! I don't know!" He let go of Steve and turned toward his room.

"Why don't you ask her?" 

Steve spun to glare at Pony who was still standing in the doorway to his room. Pony couldn't believe those words had just come from his mouth. 

"What?" Soda asked him, more out of frustration than anger at him. 

"Um," Pony suddenly wished he hadn't said anything. Steve was glaring at him in an all too old familiar way. He suddenly felt like that was the end of any progress he had made with Steve, but he didn't care. He started this, he had to finish it. And it may be what Soda needed. "I ah, said why don't you ask her. I mean you're right," he shrugged meekly, "she didn't tell you. Why don't you ask her? She should tell you, but if you don't ask she can't tell you." 

If looks could kill, Pony would have been dead on the floor just then. "Great idea Einstein," he growled at Pony, "but we don't know where she is." 

"Tallahassee. 1927 Orchard Way, Tallahassee, Florida. At least that's where her Grandparents lived when she left." Soda recited the address he knew by heart.

"Yeah well, you don't know if she even still lives with them." 

Evie felt brave. She agreed with Pony. If he wanted to know, he'd have to ask her. And he did deserve an answer. She knew Steve was just trying to protect Soda, but it wasn't working the way he wanted it to. "Susie said she was still in Florida." She said softly from the bottom of the steps where she stood next to Darry. 

"What?" He roared at his girlfriend who was suddenly betraying him too. 

"When I heard Susie she was saying she was still in Florida. And she said something about her grandparents. It sounded like she was still living there." 

"You could go see her." Pony said softly. 

"That's like 1500 hundred miles." Steve said, trying to deter him. 

"It's 1100 miles." Soda said softly looking at his shoes. "I looked it up once."

"See her and ask her. Then at least you'd know the truth." Soda looked up at him and Pony got a little courage to continue. "You could go see her. Instead of going camping." 

"It's a two day drive just to get there." Steve informed them. 

"I'll go with you." Darry said from the bottom of the steps. "I'll take off from work and go with you." 

"What about work? I don't have anybody to help me if you're gonna be gone that long." Steve said. 

"I, I'll work for you Soda. I'll stay here and work for you." Pony told him. "You and Darry go and I'll stay here and work for you." 

"Really?" Soda finally looked up at him. "You'd do that?" 

"Of course I would." Pony told him. 

"We both would." Darry added as he walked up the stairs and stood next to Ponyboy.


	5. 5

Chapter 5

"Okay," Darry started lecturing Pony again. "We are leaving at around six tomorrow morning. Are you sure you're going to be okay here alone?" 

"What alone? Everyone is always here. I'm never alone." Pony teased him. 

"Yeah well, just be careful." 

"Don't worry Darry." Two-Bit called to him from the couch. "Me and Stevie will be here to watch the kid." 

"Um, right." Darry told him as Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "Okay Pony you do nothing while we are gone. You understand? Don't go anywhere. Don't do anything. Stay out of trouble. Completely. No parties at all. You got it. Don't go to any. And under no circumstances do you have anything what so ever even resembling a party here. Do you understand me?"   
  
"Yeah, like goodie-goodie over there is gonna have a party." Steve mumbled as he flopped on the couch. 

"Yeah Darry, I told you, Steve and me will be here." Two-Bit grinned. "We'll make sure that everything's okay." He laughed. 

"Yeah Darry, give me a little credit, I'm not gonna have a party."   
  
Darry looked at him for a moment before glancing at the couch where Two-Bit was grinning like an idiot and Steve was mumbling about how Pony would never do something as cool as have a party. "You know what, you're right. I know you're not gonna have a party. I trust you. Completely." He looked over at the couch. "Now you two idiots listen to me." He started as Pony laughed. "You two are not throwing any parties! Do you understand me? Say yes Darry we understand there will be no parties in this house while you are gone. Two-Bit?" 

"Yeah, yeah. I got you." 

"I mean it Two-Bit."

"Don't worry Dar," Pony laughed. "I'll baby-sit them." 

"Oh you're so funny." Two-Bit told him as he walked into the kitchen. "Hey brownies!"   
  
"Don't eat those Two-Bit." Pony told him. "Evie made them for Soda and Darry to take with them tomorrow. If she finds out you ate them, she'll skin you." 

"She won't know if I eat one."   
  
"I wouldn't." Steve told him. "I tried earlier."

"Uh huh."

"Are you guys ready? We're gonna be late for Evie's graduation." Darry told them. 

"Yeah, if I'm late she'll kill me. We got to go. Soda come on!" He called up the stairs. "We got to go!" 

"I'm coming." He told them coming down the stairs holding his shoes. "Pony you sure you're gonna be okay here by yourself?"   
  
"Yes I'll be fine. Darry already gave me the lecture. And Steve. And Two-Bit. It'll be fine. Now let's go." They walked out towards the cars. Steve was riding with Two-Bit since Evie had his car. 

"So Stevie," Two-Bit teased pulling out his keys, "what did you get the little woman for a graduation present?" 

"Um…" 

"Oh please tell me you got her something." Two-Bit turned to him as the rest of them thought the same thing. 

"Yeah loser I got her something. I got it at the pawn shop on 4th." He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. 

"Oh my God!" Pony uttered, his mouth hanging open. 

Steve looked at him strangely. He still hadn't forgiven him for last night and suggesting to Soda to go see Sandy. "It's a necklace." He told them, opening the box. 

"Oh." Pony said somewhat embarrassed. He thought Steve had actually got Evie a ring. 

"Whatever." Steve said as he shoved it back into his pocket as he climbed into Two-Bit's car.

The Curtis brothers walked toward Darry's truck. "Here." Darry said handing Pony the keys. "You can drive to the graduation."   
  
"Really?" Pony asked wide-eyed. 

"Yeah really. I'm sorry we've been too busy to let you drive."   
  
"It's okay Darry." Pony told him climbing behind the wheel. "There's been a lot of stuff going on."   
  
"No it's not. But thanks. And be careful while we're gone. Please?" 

"Yeah Dar, I know. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." 

"I know you can. I know." Darry told him as he tried to hide the grimace on his face as Pony shifted gears and the clutch made a painful noise.

****

"Okay Pony, we're gonna leave around six tomorrow, so if you're still sleeping, well, you know. And we'll call you tomorrow night sometime."   
  
"Okay Darry. Just be careful okay?"   
  
"You got it Buddy. You too." He stood up and pulled out his wallet. "Here's $40 bucks. In case you need it."   
  
"No it's okay, you guys might need it." 

"I got enough money. I been putting it away to take you camping. And listen, about that. I promise we'll go camping. Soon. Sometime this summer. I promise."   
  
"I know. It's okay Darry. This is important."   
  
"Yeah, it is, but so was taking you camping. And we'll go. I promise. But listen, what you did, for Soda, that was really great. I just wanted you to know that."   
  
"Thanks Darry. Now go to bed." Pony smiled at him as he walked up the steps. Soda's bedroom door was open so he walked over to it. "Soda?" 

"Yeah?" He was packing clothes into a bag for tomorrow.

"Listen, tomorrow…" he really didn't know what to say to him. "Just be careful driving. And everything." 

"Yeah, you too."

Pony watched him for a minute. "I hope you find what you're looking for Soda. But I hope whatever you find helps. Really."   
  
Soda kept packing for a second. "Thanks Pony. Really. Thanks. And I hope so too."   
  
  
  
****

Pony's alarm clock went off. He rolled over and smacked it to stop the beeping. 6:30 AM. What a way to start the first day of his summer vacation. He got dressed and went downstairs. The coffee had just finished brewing when Steve walked in the back door. "Hey. Coffee's done." 

"Thanks." He grumbled. 

Pony didn't think anything of it. Steve was never a morning person. "You want an egg sandwich?" 

"Yeah. Thanks."   
  
Pony made sandwiches and Steve drove them to the DX. They opened the station and Steve went to work in the garage. Pony waited around for cars to come in. After awhile it slowed down and Pony went into the garage. "You want any help?" 

"You know how to rebuild a carburetor?" Steve said sarcastically. 

  
"No."   
  
"Then I don't need any help."   
  
"Oh." Pony leaned against the car. "So I guess you're going back to hating me." 

Steve stood up from under the car hood and looked at him strangely for a second. "What are you talking about kid?" 

Pony shrugged. He didn't really care at this moment. "I don't know. We were finally getting along, but you're pissed at me because I told Soda to go talk to Sandy. So now you're gonna start hating me again I guess." 

Steve stuck his head back under the hood. "I don't hate you. I'm just not in a good mood." 

They were silent for a few minutes. "Why were you so upset about Sandy? I thought you really liked her back before." 

Steve realized he wasn't going to get anything done if Pony was going to insist on having this conversation. He stood up again and grabbed a rag, wiping off his hands. "I did like her. I liked her a lot. She was good for Soda. Especially then. In the beginning."   
  
"What do you mean?"

Steve shrugged. "Just, okay look, they had just started going out back when, well, when your parents died." 

"I didn't remember that."   
  
"Well, it was like a month or two before. And then everything went to hell. And everybody was all upset and those state people didn't know if you guys could live with Darry and it was just really bad. And during all that the only thing that made Soda happy was Sandy. And that was good.

"I liked her. Everybody liked her. Soda loved her. I knew he loved her. And when she left…" he shook his head back and forth. "She waits till you and Johnny are missing to go and tell him she's pregnant. And oh by the way it's not his." He threw down the rag in disgust. "How could she do that?" 

"I don't know. I guess it just happened to time out that way. I mean I don't think she planned on doing it then to hurt him." 

"I just don't want to see him get hurt." 

"Nobody does. But he feels like he needs to see her. To find out the truth about everything."   
  
"I know. I just don't trust her." 

Pony nodded. "But you trust Soda. He knows what he's doing. At least he knows what he needs to do." 

"Yeah. I hope so." Steve told him, going back to work. 

****

Darry felt the bump and sat up with a jerk, not remembering where he was at first. The dashboard of Soda's car came into focus as he yawned. "Where are we?"

"Mississippi."   
  
"Oh. You want to get something to eat soon?"   
  
"Yeah." Soda said and kept driving for awhile longer. "Darry?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Thanks. For coming with me." 

"Your welcome." Darry watched out the window as the scenery flew by. "Do you know what you're gonna say to her?"

"Not really." He said, pulling off into a restaurant. "I mean I got a lot of stuff I want to say to her. And ask her. But do I know how I'm gonna do it? No." 

Darry nodded, looking straight ahead. "You'll figure it out when the time is right." 

****

The day went by fairly quickly after that. Two-Bit came by a few times. Steve taught Pony how to change oil and a few other things. They actually got along fairly good. Better than Pony expected. 

Steve slammed the hood shut and looked out the bay door. Pony was finishing up with a car out front. Some of his friends had come by for gas earlier. As well as a number of girls that sat in their little cars flirting with Pony reminding Steve of when he and Soda first started working there and they'd flirt with Soda. "Close it up." He called out to him. "Let's get out of here." 

They finished up and headed back to the house. "You want to go to the Dingo and get something to eat?" Steve asked him. 

  
"Sure. I'm starving." Pony told him, pulling a clean shirt on over his head. "Hey where's Evie? She didn't come by at all today." 

"I don't know." Steve grumbled. "I guess she was doing stuff today. I'll talk to her later." 

They ate dinner and came back to the house. Steve called Evie again. Pony could hear them arguing then Steve hung up the phone and walked right past him out onto the porch and sat down. Pony heard him flip open his lighter and light a cigarette.

"Here." Pony told him, handing him a beer he had gotten him from the fridge. 

"Thanks." Steve looked up and saw the beer Pony was drinking from and gave him a look. 

"Don't tell Darry. He'd freak." Pony gave a slight grin. "But if Two-Bit asks who drank all his beer, I'm telling him it was you."   
  
Steve laughed. "Like Two-Bit can remember how much beer he has left." 

They sat on the porch in the dark smoking and drinking beer for awhile. "So, ah was that Evie?" 

Steve took a long drag on his cigarette and crushed it out. "Yeah. I guess she's pissed." 

"Oh." Pony didn't know what to say. "At you?" He asked carefully. 

"I don't know. Me. Everything. I don't know. She started acting weird last night." 

"So what was she doing today?" 

Steve shrugged. "Looking for a job."

"Oh." He said again, nodding. 

"Can I ask you a question?" Steve asked him. 

"Sure. Anything."   
  
"You and Evie been talking a lot lately haven't you?" 

"Yeah." He said cautiously. "Sort of. She's at the house a lot when I get home from school. So yeah I guess. But we just talk and stuff. That's it Steve. I swear." 

Steve let out a little laugh. "Relax kid I don't think you're trying to make moves on my girlfriend." 

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay." He let out another little laugh then was silent as he looked out into the darkness. "Last night, when I showed you what I got Evie for graduation. What did you think it was?" 

"Honestly? An engagement ring." 

"Yeah. That's what I thought. I think that's what she thought too." 

"Probably." Pony drank more of his beer. Definitely he thought. 

"Yeah. She wants to get married." 

"Well do you want to marry her?" Pony asked, surprised at his boldness with Steve. 

"Yeah. Eventually. I mean I even started putting money away to buy her a ring. I just thought, I don't know. It's stupid." 

"What is?" 

Steve shook his head in the dark. "I don't know. I just thought maybe she'd want to maybe have a little bit of a life first you know? Do something besides graduate one day and marry me then next. Like maybe she'd want to do something." 

"Like what?" Pony was curious. This didn't sound like the Steve he knew.

  
"I don't know. Something besides getting a job at the grocery store."


	6. 6

Chapter 6

"DX." Pony answered the phone.

"Pony? It's Darry." 

  
"Hey Dar." Pony grinned. He didn't think he'd be so happy to hear him. "Where are you?" 

"In Tallahassee. We just got a motel room. Soda's taking a shower." 

"Has he seen her yet?" Pony asked, nervously twisting the phone cord around his fingers as Steve walked into the office area.

"No not yet. We drove past the house though. There was some kid stuff out in the yard so I guess she's still living there."

"How's Soda doing?" Steve asked, wiping grease off his hands.

"Yeah, how's Soda doing?" Pony asked him. 

"All things considered, I think pretty good. He's going to go see her later today." 

Pony nodded. "I hope it goes well."   
  
"You and me both. Listen I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow. Is everything okay back there?"   
  
"Yeah it's fine Darry. Don't worry. Just take care of Soda." 

****

Steve hung up the phone and walked out of the office slamming the door behind him. "Come on let's go." 

"I guess Evie's not coming to eat with us?" Pony was sitting on the hood of Steve's car waiting.

"No. She's still pissed. I think she had a lousy day looking for a job." 

"Oh. Where is she looking?" 

"I don't know. Grocery store. Clothing store. Diner. Places like that." 

Pony understood why Evie was upset. She didn't want to do that. He knew she didn't. She had told him. But obviously she hadn't told Steve. "That's good I guess."   
  
"No it's not. It's a sucky job for sucky money." 

Pony nodded, not knowing what else to say to him.

"Maybe I should just marry her now."   
  
Pony looked up. "But I thought you said you wanted to let her do something first?" 

"I don't know. She just seems so upset that I didn't ask her. Maybe I should." 

Pony was torn. He knew what was really bothering her. And he knew Steve would never guess it on his own. On one hand, he did promise Evie he wouldn't tell anyone. But on the other hand, if Steve knew, he may be able to do something about it. And that would make Evie happy. Which would make Steve happy. But he did promise her. 

"Hello? You planning on riding home on the hood of my car or are you gonna get in?" Steve yelled at him. 

Pony realized he must have been staring off into space thinking again. Steve was in a foul mood over Evie, but Pony pushed the conversation anyway. "What do you want to do?" 

"What?" 

"With Evie? What do you want to do? Do you want to marry her now?" 

"I don't know. I just don't want her to marry me because she doesn't feel like she's got any choices. I just, nevermind." 

"What?" 

Steve gripped at the steering wheel. "Okay, I guess you'll probably understand this, cause you're the same way sorta." He looked at Pony who he could tell was confused. "You wanna be more than a greaser. I mean I don't blame you for that. And there's nothing wrong with that. I know that now. Now that I'm older. I mean in high school and all, yeah that was all I wanted to do was be a greaser. It didn't seem like I had any other choices. I still don't really, but at least I can do something as a greaser. And you got the chance to be more than just a greaser. You got brains and all. You'll make it out of all this. Evie wants out of all of this. She doesn't just want to be a greaser chick anymore. She wants more. But marrying some greaser isn't gonna get her more. That's why I thought she might want to do something. Something more than just graduate and marry me."

"Oh." Pony didn't know what to say so he just kept his mouth shut. They went home, changed and went to the Dingo. The entire time they were out he kept thinking about what Steve said. And what Evie said. 

"What's the matter with you kid? Even you ain't never this quiet?" 

"Sorry. Just thinking I guess." 

"About Soda? Me too." Steve told him assuming that's what was going on. "I wish I knew what was happening with them." 

"Um, yeah. Me too." Pony told him trying to drop the subject. 

****

Soda's knuckles were turning white from holding the steering wheel. He pulled up in front of the house. It was hot, but that wasn't why he was sweating. He was nervous about seeing her. Very nervous. Finally he climbed out of the car and closed the door behind him. He stared at the house for a moment before finally working up the nerve to cross the street and walk up the path. His feet felt like lead as he climbed the front steps. The front door was open and the hallway was revealed behind the old wooden screen door. Music was playing somewhere in the house. Taking a deep breath he raised his hand and knocked on the screen door.

"Just a minute." A woman's voice called as she walked to the door. "Yes? Can I help you?" She looked at him for a moment waiting for an answer. Suddenly a look of recognition came across her face. "Oh my. Just a moment. Stay right there."

She turned back towards the room she had just came from and called out. "Sandy. Come here." 

She stepped out of his sight. He could hear her talking. "It's for you. Give me Luke, I'll go put him down for his nap."

Soda stood on the front porch. He watched her slowly step out of the room and into the entry hall. The moment he saw her he knew why he fell in love with her the first time. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. 

As she realized who was standing there in front of her she brought her hand up to her mouth in shock. "Soda." The words came out as a whisper. "Oh my god Soda. I thought I'd never see you again." The tears formed in her eyes and quickly started to pour down her cheeks. 

Soda opened the door and stepped in. Putting his arms around her waist. "Sandy." He hugged her. "Oh god Sandy."

"Perhaps you might want to go somewhere and talk. Alone." Sandy's grandmother was suddenly standing behind them. "Your grandfather won't be gone much longer. I don't think here is a good idea." 

****

After her grandmother said that, Sandy got her purse and she and Soda silently walked to his car and climbed in. "Go that way. We can talk at the park." 

She gave him directions and he drove. He pulled into a spot and turned the car off. Neither of them had really said anything. They hadn't even looked at each other. "He's my baby isn't he?" 

"Yes." She said on the verge of tears. 

Soda nodded. 

"I'm sorry Soda." She started crying. "I'm so sorry."

"No. I'm sorry." He said, shaking his head as the tears ran down his eyes. "I loved you. I thought you loved me too. I'm sorry you didn't." 

"But I did!" She cried. "I did. I'm so sorry Soda." 

"Then why?" He yelled at her. "Why did you lie to me? Why did you leave? Why?" 

"I thought it would be better for you. For everyone." She bawled.

Soda was upset. He was actually mad. At her. At himself. "How? How could you think that? I loved you. You were having my kid and you left. You lied to me and told me you cheated on me. That it was somebody else's baby. How could that make things better?"

"I don't know. I just," she pulled a tissue out of her purse. "I just wanted to make it easier on you." 

"On me? How? By dumping me? Breaking my heart? Running away? Lying to me? Never telling me I had a kid? My God Sandy!" He realized he was yelling at her but at that moment he didn't care. A year and a half of pent up frustration was finally coming out and it was all directed at her and at the moment, he didn't care. "God Sandy! Do you realize when you left that was one of the two worse weeks of my life! And I got a kid and didn't even know about it till a few weeks ago. I had to find out by accident! Do you realized I'd give anything to see my dad again? Anything! And here I got a kid and didn't even know about it!"

She sobbed into her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. When I found out I was pregnant, Pony and Johnny were already missing. You were so upset. And I told my mother." She cried. "The next thing I knew they decided to send me to Florida. My father made me lie to you. He made me Soda. He said if I told you the truth he'd kick me out. My grandparents wouldn't take me. No one. They wouldn't give me any money and they'd make the state take the baby!"

Soda felt bad for yelling at her, but he wasn't ready to forgive her. Not yet. "But why didn't you just tell me? I would have taken care of you." 

"I didn't know what I was going to do! My mother just kept telling me this was the best thing. That there was no way you'd be able to take care of me and a baby. Not then, with everything with your brother and the state. She kept saying that what my dad said was the best thing. For everybody. Me. You . And the baby. She said telling you it wasn't yours was the best thing. She said that way you wouldn't come after me. You'd break up with me and never want to see me again. And you couldn't do anything stupid like try and marry me." She sobbed. 

Soda couldn't take it any longer. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "But Sandy I did want to marry you." 

"Soda I was so confused. And you were so upset about your brother already. My mom seemed to make sense. It seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't want to saddle you with a baby. So I left. And then when I never heard from you. I figured she was right." 

Soda just stared at her for a second. "Sandy I wrote you constantly. For months. I kept getting all the letters back. Finally I just gave up." 

"Oh God Soda." She stared crying again. "It was my grandfather. Him and my dad. They must have sent them back. Oh God Soda I'm so sorry. It was all my dad! He hated you. Especially after he found out I was pregnant! I couldn't even say your name without him throwing a fit. And my grandfather was the same way. I'm so sorry Soda. I was so stupid."

"No you weren't." He said softly as he stroked her hair. "You were just confused and everybody was telling you stuff. I'm sorry. I wish I could have made it better for you. I wish I could have been there for you." 

They sat there for a moment as she slowly stopped crying. "But you're here now." 

"Yeah, I am." 

  
"Wait, why are you here now? Why now? All of a sudden? And how did you find out?" 

"Evie over heard Susie talking to someone about you. Heard her say she had a picture of the baby. Evie snuck a look at the picture. Realized it looked an awful lot like me and told me. Finally I decided I had to see you so Darry and I drove down here. He's back at the motel."

"Oh." She stared out the front widow while he kept stroking her hair. "Soda, I just want you to know I never cheated on you. Ever." 

"I know. It's okay." 

"I missed you Soda." 

"I missed you too."

"I always loved you Soda. I still do." 

"Good. Because I still love you too." He kissed the top of her head. "Tell me about Lucas." 


	7. 7

A/N Sorry, if this confuses anyone. It was pointed out that I had a major typo where I had Sandy on the phone when it should have been Evie! Had to fix that so I re posted chapter 7.

Chapter 7

****

"Hey Evie!" 

"Hey Pony. You hear from Darry and Soda?" 

"Darry just called." Pony told her and Steve as he walked into the garage. "They just got back from taking Sandy and the baby to breakfast. He said Soda and Sandy were taking the baby to the park and talk some more. So I guess it's going pretty good." 

"That's good." Evie said. "Maybe they can work something out. Something that will make them all happy. God knows somebody deserves to be." She mumbled the last part, but Steve heard it. "Look I gotta go. I have an interview at the diner." 

  
"What about our books?" Steve asked her. 

  
"God Steve relax. I'll do it. I always do it. But I have to find a real job. It's not like you pay me. I mean it's not like I'm an actual accountant or anything. I gotta go. I'll see you later." She said sourly as she walked towards the diner.

"Great. Just great." Steve said as he slammed the hood of the car he had been working on. "Listen Pony, I gotta go take care of something this afternoon. You gonna be okay here by yourself for awhile?" 

  
"Yeah Steve, no problem. Where you going?"   
  
"I just gotta do something. I'll tell you later."

*****

Pony closed up the DX and started walking home. Steve had left around four and wasn't back yet. What Steve said last night about Evie kept running through his head. How she wanted to be more than a greaser. And what Evie said today about Soda and Sandy deserving to be happy. Lost in his thoughts as usual, Pony didn't hear the car that was slowly pulling up behind him until it was too late.

He knew not to turn around. He knew the best thing to do was to try and ignore them. If you look at them, they know you're nervous about them. It can give them ideas. He started walking a little faster. 

"What's a matter greaser? Where you running too?"   
  
"You ass Two-Bit!" Pony yelled at him as he climbed into the car.

"Had you going for a second though didn't I?" He laughed. 

"Whatever." Pony rolled his eyes.

"So what you doing walking home? Where's Stevie?"   
  
"I don't know. He said he had something to do and for me to close up. He left awhile ago." 

"Him and Evie still fighting?"

"I don't know. I think sort of, but I don't think they are really mad at each other so much as just mad at something." 

"Uh huh. So you hear from them boys?" He turned down Pony's street. 

"Yeah. Darry called once this morning, and then again just before closing. They were taking Sandy and the baby to dinner and then hitting the road. He figured if they drove all night they'd be home by dinner time tomorrow." 

"Good. So how's it going?" 

"I guess pretty good. He said they talked about a lot of stuff. And Sandy's grandmother has been pretty supportive. I guess it was the rest of her family that hated Soda and all. I don't know the whole story. Darry said he and Soda would tell us when they got home." 

"Good. Hey there's Evie." Two-Bit pointed as he pulled up in front of the Curtis house where Evie sat on the front porch smoking a cigarette. "Hey hot stuff? What's cooking?" He called to her as he got out of the car. 

  
"If you're just looking to flatter me, I'll take it. If you're really just trying to find out if I made food for your sorry ass, you're shit out of luck." She told Two-Bit as he put a hand to his heart and acted as if she had shot him. "Where's Steve?" 

"I don't know. He said he had something to take care of and had me close up. How did your interview go?"   
  
"Okay. I'll tell you later." She crushed out her cigarette as Steve pulled up in front of the house.

"Hey baby." He said getting out of his car and walking over to her, kissing her when she stood up. 

"Where did you have to go?" She asked him. 

"I, ah, just had to take care of something." He told her, shoving a hand in the pocket of his pants. "How did you interview at the diner go?"   
  
"I got the job. I start tomorrow."

"That's great baby!" He kissed her again. "Good for you."   
  
"Yeah. Good for me." She said unenthusiastically. 

"Well since you didn't cook. And now we have a reason to celebrate, let's go eat. I'm starved!" Two-Bit told them. 

"Okay. I gotta take a shower first." Steve told them. 

"Me too." Pony said as he went into the house.

"Well y'all hurry up! I'm starving!" Two-Bit whined.

"Well eat a snack." Pony yelled at him as he headed straight for the shower. 

Pony showered quickly and changed his clothes. When he picked up his dirty clothes from today he realized he really needed to do some laundry. With just him at home, there almost wasn't enough for a full load of wash, but he needed clothes to wear to the station the next day. Pony walked out into the living room with his laundry basket to find Two-Bit watching TV and eating chocolate cake. Evie was on the phone with someone. He realized it was her mother as he walked out the back door towards Steve's apartment. 

The door was shut, but unlocked. "Steve?" He knocked as he opened it. "Steve you got any laundry?" Pony called as he went in. He heard the shower turning off as he stepped into the room.

"What?" 

"I gotta do wash. I need more clothes, where's your laundry?"   
  
"Oh. The pile in the corner." Steve called to him as he toweled off. 

He collected up the laundry scattered around. Steve's idea of a pile and his idea of a pile weren't exactly the same. "Okay, I'm gonna go start this. Don't let me forget to throw it in the dryer when we get back from dinner or we won't have anything to wear to work tomorrow!" Pony laughed.

"Yeah. Good idea." Steve told him stepping out of the little bathroom in a towel as Pony walked out the door. Steve walked toward his dresser for more clothes and stopped. He bolted towards the door and flung it open. "Pony!" He yelled at him from the top of the steps. "Wait!" 

"What?" Pony turned around to find Steve in a towel halfway down the steps. "God Steve I got neighbors." He told him, coming back up to the apartment. "What?" 

"My pants! The ones on the bed! Where are they?" He started flinging clothes out of Pony's basket as he found the pants. He let out a relieved sigh. 

"What's the matter? They'll be done by tomorrow. You got other pants." Pony told him, confused. 

Steve realized there was no getting out of it, so he just reached into the pocket of his work pants and pulled out the small velvet box. "It's not the pants I was worried about." 

"Oh." Pony stared at the box for a second. "Is that…?" 

"Yeah. I went and got it for her today. I figured there wasn't much point in waiting. Besides, it's what she wants. I'm not saying we're getting married tomorrow, but at least it's a start." He shrugged.

"Wow." 

"Look, don't say anything." 

"Don't worry, I won't tell Evie anything."   
  
"That I figured. I meant don't say anything to Two-Bit or anybody. You I trust. Two-Bit, forget it. He couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life. He don't have that name for nothing you know."   
  
Ponyboy laughed. "Right. Got you. No problem." He headed downstairs to start the laundry.

****

When Steve was finally ready they all climbed into Two-Bit's car, he and Pony in the front with Steve and Evie in the back.

"So Miss Ellison," Two-Bit said in a mock tone. "In honor of you recent momentous graduation, and of course your new found fortune in the business world, where would you like to go to dinner?" 

Evie laughed. New found fortune. Right. "I don't care. Some place other than the Dingo. And not the diner either. Surprise me."   
  
"Okay, you got it." Two-Bit started driving and they ended up at a little drive up diner on the absolute farthest side of town. 

"So babe, tell me about your job." Steve asked her, feeding her a french fry. 

Evie shrugged. "What's to tell. It's a waitress job at the diner." She tried to sound enthusiastic, but it wasn't working. "I start tomorrow."

"Is it full time?" Pony asked her, wondering if she could still take classes that way. 

"Yes. Breakfast and lunch shift, Monday through Friday and some weekends every now and then." 

"Is it good money?" Steve grinned at her.

"It's okay I guess. Gladys, the head waitress, the one that's going to train me tomorrow said I won't do bad on those shifts. And she should know, she's worked there for twenty years." 

"Wow. That's a long time at one job without getting fired." Two-Bit laughed. 

"Something you could never hope for I'm sure." Steve teased him. 

"Yeah well, they were kinda proud of that fact." Evie continued. "She's been there twenty years. A couple of the other waitresses have been there like ten years or something. It was a big deal to them. How great a place it must be if they all want to be there for so long or something. Gladys kept telling me how she started working there right after she graduated too, and look at her now, twenty years later, head waitress." 

The reality of that hit Evie hard just then. She had all she could do to fight back the tears that were threatening to form. The thought of spending the next twenty years waiting on tables, smelling of grease and turning into an old lady with a beehive hairdo that you keep your pencils in like Gladys was almost too much for her. "Um, are you guys ready to go. I gotta get home. I gotta get up early tomorrow." 

"You don't want to go out and celebrate baby?" Steve asked her grinning. "We can drop of the kid and then go to the bar?" 

"No. I, I just want to go home." Evie told him sadly. She saw Pony looking at her. Pitying her. She didn't need that. She didn't want him feeling sorry for her. She wished he had never seen that stupid application. She never should have sent it in. Never should have gotten her hopes up. It was a stupid idea in the first place.

****

Pony laid in his bed trying to sleep. It wasn't working. It was too quiet in his house. It was never this quiet and that wasn't helping him any. He was worried about Soda. And surprisingly about Steve and Evie. He flipped over in bed again and tried to sleep. 

After another fifteen minutes he threw back the sheets and got up. Walking through the house in his boxers he pulled on a shirt and opened the back door. The lights were out in Steve's apartment, but the TV gave off a glow through the windows. Barefoot he climbed up the steps. 

"Steve?" He softly knocked. "You still awake?" He heard movement inside and the door opened. "Sorry."   
  
"It's okay. What's the matter kid? Did Darry call? Is Soda okay?" 

"I, I gotta tell you something. Something about Evie." Pony looked up at him. The look on Steve's face registered surprise. Steve opened the door up the rest of the way and let him in the apartment.


	8. 8

Chapter 8 

"DX." Pony answered the phone. "Oh hi Mrs. Randall. No it's Ponyboy." He looked out toward the garage where Steve was working on a car. "Yes he's right here, hold on a moment." Pony covered the phone before hollering out to the garage. "Steve! Your mom's on the phone. She wants to talk to you." 

  
"What does she want?" He called back. 

"To talk to you."   
  
Steve rolled his eyes under the hood of the car. "Tell her I gotta talk to her later. I'm right in the middle of this and if I stop I gotta start over."   
  
"Mrs. Randall? He says he has to talk to you later. He's right in the middle of something." He listened then moved the phone aside again. "She says you have to come by the house and get Evie's graduation present for her and she needs you to look at the washing machine. It's not running right." 

"Great." Steve mumbled. "Tell her I'll come by this weekend."   
  
"He says he'll come by this weekend." Pony listened as a grin crossed his face. "She says she spent so many years doing laundry for you the least you could do is come by tonight and look at it because she's got a lot of wash to do." 

"Tell her I can't. Soda's coming home tonight."   
  
"He says tonight's not a good night Mrs. Randall." Pony laughed as he listened to what she told him. "She said she spent eighteen hours in labor with you and then eighteen years doing your laundry, cooking your meals and taking care of your sorry butt so you better come by for at least eighteen minutes pretending to care if she has a functioning washing machine." Pony was cracking up. 

"Okay, okay. I'll come by. After work. But only for a few minutes."

******************

Steve pulled up to the corner of Pony's street to let him walk the three house home while he ran back to his house. As soon as Pony came around the corner he saw Soda's car sitting out front and he ran home. "Soda? Darry?" He yelled as he bolted through the front door. 

"Hey!" Darry called to him as he walked out of the kitchen and put him in a headlock.

  
"Dar let me go!" Pony laughed. "Where's Soda? How is he? What happened? How did it go? What did Sandy say? When did you get back?"   
  
"Whoa Pony! Settle down. Soda's asleep. He drove most of the way home and most of last night. I don't think he could sleep so right now he's beat. We got back about two hours ago. Figured we'd wait to call you and let him take a nap. But to answer everything else. I think it went well. They talked. A lot. And I gotta tell you, that is one cute kid." He grinned.

"But Soda's okay?"   
  
"Yeah, I think he is." Darry nodded. "How are you? How did it go working with Steve and staying by yourself and all?" 

"Oh fine. Steve and I actually got along. He even taught me how to change oil and some other stuff. He figures if I work for them this summer, they can do twice as much maintenance with Soda just working on cars instead of trying to do that and work the pumps. He even said they were going to pay me under the table." 

"Good. I'm glad it went okay. Where is he? And where's Two-Bit? Those two did stay out of trouble right?"  
  
Pony laughed. "Yeah. Everybody is fine. Steve had to go home and do something for his mom. He'll be back soon. I don't know where Two-Bit is, I haven't seen him all day." 

*****************

"So are you going to tell us or what?" Two-Bit blurted out, tired of waiting for Soda to talk about the trip. 

"Okay, okay." He sat down with his plate of spaghetti as everybody else finished getting theirs. "So we went, I saw her and we talked." He took a big bite of food and just chewed as everyone stared at him.

"And?" Steve demanded as Darry, Soda and Evie laughed.

"Oh you want more than that?" Soda teased, trying to look all innocent.

"Yes!" Steve was getting impatient. 

"Okay. I guess I should start at the beginning. Yes, Lucas is mine. And no Sandy didn't cheat on me."

"So she says." Steve grumbled under his breath, but everybody heard him anyway. 

  
"She didn't cheat on me. Now are you gonna listen or you gonna be an ass."   
  
"Probably be an ass." Two-Bit joked. 

Soda ignored Two-Bit and just stared at Steve till he mumbled a "Sorry." 

Soda explained the whole story to them. How Sandy didn't want to tell him then with Pony and Johnny missing and all. So she told her mother. Who told her father. Who hated Soda for being a greaser and getting his daughter pregnant. The last thing Sandy's father wanted was for her teenage daughter drop out of high school and marry a greaser. How she was better than that. So his plan was to send her to Florida to his parents. And unfortunately her grandfather agreed with her father on everything. That's what happened to all the letters he sent her. Her grandfather got a hold of them and sent them back.

"But why did she lie to you? Why didn't she ever try and get a hold of you?" Pony asked him. 

"Her father made her lie. Said if she tried to tell me the truth, he'd kick her out and her grandparents wouldn't take her in either. And then he told her that there would be no way the state would let her keep that baby. Especially since the state was already threatening to put you and me in boys homes then.

"So she felt like she didn't have any choices. Her mom told her if she lied to me and told me it was somebody else's then I'd be so made at her I wouldn't want anything to do with her and then she wouldn't have to worry about me trying to track her down." 

"Wow." Evie said. "And I thought my dad was an ass at times." 

Pony nodded. "So what are you doing now?" 

Soda shrugged. "I don't know exactly. We're gonna talk. A lot. See what happens." 

"Is she gonna come back here to Tulsa?" 

"I don't know. I'd like her too. We still gotta work some stuff out." 

They talked for awhile longer. Soda told them all about Lucas. About how the picture Evie had gotten was from when he was nine months old. How he had just turned one and was a holy terror. He showed them some of the pictures that Sandy had given him too. He told them how her grandmother never liked what the rest of her family was doing to her. And how she suggested they get Sandy a post office box so Soda could send her letters there instead of to the house.

"He really is cute Soda." Evie said, looking at the pictures.

"Yeah he is." Soda grinned. 

  
"I still can't believe you got a kid." Pony said shaking his head. "Hey wow that makes me an uncle." He suddenly realized. 

"Yeah, I guess it does." Soda smiled at him. 

Evie stood up. "Okay, I gotta go home." She told Steve. "I have to work again tomorrow." 

"You got a job? Where?" Soda asked. 

"The diner." She told him bluntly. "I work breakfast and lunch. So I need to go home. I have to get up early."

"That's great Sandy. Congratulation."

"Thanks." She got her purse and waited for Steve. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." 

Everyone said goodbye to her. Steve ran up to his apartment for a moment and Evie went to wait on the front porch for him to drive her home. Soda followed her out on the porch. "Hey Evie?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Listen, I just wanted to say thanks. For everything. If it hadn't been for you, I never would have known all this stuff. And I'm real glad I know it. So thanks. Especially considering I know Steve didn't want you telling me and what that was doing to you guys. So really, thank you. A lot." He leaned in and hugged her before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

"You're welcome. And I'm glad it's working out okay. I was real worried I was ruining your life or something."

"Nope. You might have just made it a whole lot better." He smiled at her and walked in the house as Steve come out to the porch. 

  
"You ready baby?" He asked, leading her to the car to take her home.

*****************

Steve took Evie home and came back to the house. He grabbed the book off the front seat of the car and walked into the house. Pony was sitting in the dark watching TV. "Hey. Where is everyone?"   
  
"Two-Bit left and Darry and Soda went to bed." He answered. "Hey Steve?" Pony looked up at him. "Did you, um…"

"Ask Evie? No. Not yet. I figured I'd wait till this weekend sometime. I don't know. She's still acting weird. I don't know what I'm doing." 

"Oh. I was just wondering."   
  
"Hey, do me a favor and don't mention it to Soda. I just don't want him finding out that I sorta told you first before him. You know?"   
  
"Yeah, I understand." Pony smiled up at him. "No problem."

"Thanks. Oh, here." He handed Pony the book he was holding. "Thought you might want to look at some of that." 

"Oh wow, thanks Steve." Pony flipped through the book on car repair. 

"Yeah well, figured you'd be able to understand it. I read when I was like fourteen. I understood what they were trying to say, just not the way they wrote it out. Figured you'd be able to understand it some. Then you could do some more stuff this summer. You know, instead of just pumping gas." 

"Wow Steve, thanks. That's really cool of you. Where'd you get this?" 

"Believe it or not, my dad. Christmas when I was thirteen. He was having me help him a lot on his car, realized I knew what I was doing and figured I'd like it." He shrugged. "One of the few cool things I ever remember him doing for me. But anyway I figured you could look through it for the summer."

"Thanks. Hey Steve? I'm uh real glad we're getting along better." 

"Yeah, me too. I know Soda is." 

"Yeah." Pony let out a little laugh. "He is I think. He was real glad to hear how good it went while he was gone. And me working there all summer." 

"Yeah well now that you sorta got your own life and aren't always tagging along with us, not to mention you're not such a whiney little kid anymore," Steve teased him, "you're okay I guess." 

"I was never a whiney little kid!" 

"Whatever. I'm going to bed. I gotta drive Evie to the diner before work tomorrow, so make sure Soda's up and you guys are gonna have to ride together." 

"Okay. Good night." 


	9. 9

A/N Thanks to everyone that has reviewed for me! I really appreciate it!  
  
To NightGoddess99 - I know Sandy's a greaser. However greaser was determined by more than just state of mind and I always felt Sandy lived more on the edge of almost not a greaser. But what I meant before was that just because she's a greaser, her father didn't necessarily want her marrying a greaser.  
  
Thanks for reviewing for me!  
  
And so everyone knows, there is only one more chapter to this story. But I like this little Outsiders universer I've created, and have started to sketch out another story that lives in this same little world.  
  
So book two will come out some time in the future!  
  
Thanks!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Soda you planning on working today or just talking on the phone?" Steve yelled to him from the garage. Soda just waved at him as he nodded, but continued talking. "Come on Soda, long distance is expensive. Write her a damn letter!"  
  
"Okay, okay." He told Steve before turning back to the phone. "Sandy I gotta go. I'll talk to you in two days."  
  
"Tell her I said hi!" Pony yelled to him.  
  
"And Pony says hi." He grinned. "She says hi back."  
  
"Oh for God sake!" Steve grumbled walking into the office.  
  
"And Steve says hi too." Soda listened to her for a second and laughed. "I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up the phone.  
  
"Finally."  
  
"Lay off Steve." Soda told him. "Did we get the parts for that mustang yet?"  
  
Steve shook his head while drinking a Pepsi. "It'll be here by three." He looked at his watch. "I'm starving. I'm gonna run to the diner, see Evie and grab some food. You want me to bring you back something?"  
  
"No. I'm good."  
  
"Yes. I'm starving." Pony told him.  
  
"You're always starving anymore." Steve laughed. "What do you want?"  
  
Pony gave him his order and Steve headed to the diner. He saw Evie finishing up with a table as he walked in. He had to admit she looked pretty cute in that tight little pink uniform. But she really didn't look all that happy. She was smiling at all the customers, but as soon as she walked away, it was gone. He could tell she was pretty miserable. He hoped she was just tired.  
  
*********  
  
"Okay crank it again." Steve told Soda who was sitting in the car. He did and the engine turned over.  
  
"Purring like a kitten." Soda grinned.  
  
"Yeah I guess." Steve slammed the hood shut and grabbed a rag to wipe off his hands.  
  
"What's the matter with you? You been acting weird all afternoon."  
  
"Huh? Oh nothing. Just thinking."  
  
"Look Steve if you and Evie are having problems over the whole thing with Sandy, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."  
  
"Oh no, it's not that. And listen, I'm glad stuff is going good with you two. That you got some of that stuff all worked out. And I'm sorry I was being such an ass before. I should have told you that sooner too."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Soda gave him that infamous grin of his.  
  
"So you think she'll come back here? To Tulsa? I mean do you even want her to come back here?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. I still love her. I always have. And I know she did what she did cause she thought it was the best thing. And she was just trying to protect me. And the baby. And I think that just makes me love her even more." He got the huge grin again.  
  
"Yeah." Steve nodded his head up and down. "You think you're gonna marry her?"  
  
"I wanna. I wanted to then. I mean I wanted to even before I found out she was pregnant, but I couldn't then. And now, well I still want to, and not just because of Lucas. But I can't right now. We got to work through some stuff. I mean we're different people then we were before. A lot of stuff has happened since she left Tulsa. To both of us. And I want to make sure that getting married is still the right thing for me and her. And Lucas. And I want her to know that I don't just want to marry her because of Lucas either. You know," he shrugged, "I just want her to be happy. Do what's best for her and all."  
  
"Yeah. I know what you mean." Steve nodded, looking out at the pumps where Pony was talking to a carload of girls. "Lordy, look at the kid." He shook his head. "Damn he's only been working here a week and them girls have already started swarming in. Reminds me of when you and me started working here. The way they all used to come in and flirt with you in their little cars."  
  
"Oh whatever." Soda grinned wiping his hands on the rag.  
  
"No not whatever." Steve laughed. "Soda can you check my tires? Soda can you check my oil? Soda can you check my wipers? Soda you want my phone number?" Steve said in a girlie voice as he laughed.  
  
"Please! It was never like that!"  
  
"Yes it was and you know it. Just like him. Look at him out there. Leaning on the car trying to look all cool. Never knew he was such a lady- killer." He laughed.  
  
"Yeah well, I don't think he knows it either." Soda grinned at him as he threw the rag at Steve. "Come on, let's get this finished."  
  
*****************  
  
Steve never saw Evie that night. She told him her feet hurt and she was tired and just wanted to go home to bed. He lay in bed thinking about her. He had decided he would take her out someplace really nice for dinner on Saturday and ask her to marry him then. A nice restaurant and then he'd take her to the park. They used to hang out in the park a lot when they first started dating. Back before he had a car. Well, before he had his car. He could always have a car, but the thrill of having a boyfriend who could hot wire a different car to take you out in every weekend wore off the first time they were almost pulled over for speeding. After that Evie wasn't too happy with his car "borrowing." She made him walk a lot more.  
  
But yeah, the park. He'd ask her at the park. Not the big park. None of them ever went to the big park anymore. Too many memories. Even though they weren't there, just seeing that stupid fountain was enough to make him still think of Johnny and Dallas. No he'd take her to the nice park by the river and ask her there. He even secretly asked Darry for a tie and where a nice place to take her would be. He'd told Darry it was just an additional thing for her graduation and all, but he wasn't convinced Darry believed him or not. Even if he didn't Steve knew Darry would never say anything to anyone.  
  
So yeah, he thought to himself. That's what he'd do. A nice restaurant. The riverfront park. A tie. Ask her there. And flowers. He should probably get her flowers. Yeah, that would be a nice touch. Girls always like flowers. He was actually quite proud of himself, planning this all out and everything. This should make her happy. It's what she wants. It's what he wants too he realized he just hadn't though about it before all this. Up till now, he never really thought about it at all. But that's just a guy thing he told himself. The same way that girls are always thinking about weddings and getting married, guys just don't really think about all that till they have to.  
  
*************  
  
"Hey Steve you going to the diner to see Evie soon?" Pony asked him.  
  
"Yeah I guess, why?"  
  
"Cause I'm starving!"  
  
Steve just rolled his eyes at him as Two-Bit walked into the garage. When he heard Steve was going to the diner, he decided he needed to join him. Once Steve finished up the car he was working on they headed over to the diner. He didn't really see her for long the day before. She was still training. Today she was supposed to be completely on her own. They walked in and sat down at the counter.  
  
"What would you like Hun?" Gladys asked him when she walked over to where they had sat.  
  
"I'll take the little hottie over there. To go." Two-Bit said loud enough for Evie to hear him.  
  
Gladys rolled her eyes. "Lordy I hope he's actually your boyfriend and not just another wacko." She told Evie laughing.  
  
"Well, he's my boyfriend." She motioned towards Steve but then pointed at Two-Bit. "But he's definitely another wacko. What's up?"  
  
"Well, I missed breakfast driving you here. So I'm hungry. And Two-Bit here's got no job or purpose in life but harass us, so he came along for the ride. Oh and Pony is starving too."  
  
"God where does that child put all the food he eats?" She laughed. "What do you guys want?"  
  
Steve gave her their order and she put it in.  
  
"So they not threatening to fire you or anything yet huh?" Two-Bit joked.  
  
"Not yet." She told him.  
  
"So how's work going baby?" Steve asked her.  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"Okay?" Gladys said. "She's doing great. She's a natural. Pretty soon she'll be able to do this in her sleep like me and the girls. Of course we've been working here so long we should be able to do it in our sleep." She laughed. "But seriously, she's doing great. Customers seem to love her. And I've never seen anyone able to add up a check so fast in their head before." She shook her head in amazement. "Plus we all think she's an absolute doll. Just love her. That's what this place needed, was some new blood. Isn't that right Mary?" She called to one of the other waitresses who agreed. "Yup. New blood. Change things up a little. We've all been working here so long we forget what that's like sometimes."  
  
"Yeah well." Evie sort of trailed off as Two-Bit faked amazement at everything Gladys said about her.  
  
"Well we defiantly want to keep her around. She'll do great here. I trained her so I know." Gladys said, nodding as she looked for her pencil in her hairdo. "I can always tell a natural. Yes-sir-re-bub! A natural. You got yourself one heck of a little career woman on your hands now mister!" She grinned, meaning it as the highest of compliments.  
  
"I gotta get your order." Evie said softly as she hurried towards the back where she packed up Steve's food for him.  
  
"Here you go." She told him as she handed Steve the bag.  
  
That was when Steve realized it. Listening to her just then. She hated this job. And the look that had been on her face when Gladys had been saying all that stuff about her. It wasn't that she couldn't take the compliments. She didn't want them.  
  
They headed back to the DX and ate lunch. Two-Bit kept going on to Pony and Soda about all the stuff Gladys was saying about Evie. Steve didn't even want to listen. The more he heard the more depressed he got.  
  
All that stuff Soda had been saying the day before about marrying Sandy for the right reasons. And making sure she was happy and that it was what they needed. All that kept running through his mind. Would marrying Evie make her really happier? She'd still be in a job she hated. The only difference would be she'd be married to a greaser.  
  
Steve looked over at Pony. He was still reading that book he'd given him. Every now and then he'd get up, go out to the garage, ask either him or Soda a question or where something was or how it worked. Then he'd go back to the book some more. He was more than half way through it and he'd only had it for a day and a half. Sometimes he's read some of it, then flip back and look at a previous part and compare something.  
  
Two-Bit noticed him studying it too. "Good lord kid! It's summer vacation. What are you over there studying on so hard?" Pony held the book up for him to see. "Oh, fun, light summer reading." He laughed. "You trying to memorize the whole book?"  
  
"No I'm just trying to learn some of this stuff." Pony answered him.  
  
Two-Bit laughed. "Learning how to fix a car from a book! Only you kid! Especially when you got two of the best damn mechanics in Tulsa right here." He laughed again. "You planning on giving up that whole college plan of yours and going into the car repair business?"  
  
"No." Pony told him, not looking up from his book.  
  
"Then what you studying on it so hard for?"  
  
"Because. Look if I can learn enough here, then when I do go away to school, I've at least got something I can do to get a job at while I'm at school. To keep making money while I'm there. It part of my plan Two-Bit. Get a job to pay for school. So I can get out of school and get a better job. You know, employment? You have heard of it before. Right? At least you've heard all of us talking about it. God knows you certainly don't know what it is first hand." He teased Two-Bit as Soda started laughing with him.  
  
Steve didn't laugh. He actually had stopped listening to them. What Pony had just said kept running through his brain. "Hey Soda?" He said suddenly. "I just remembered I got to go take care of something. Something real important. I gotta run out for a little bit."  
  
"Where you gotta go?"  
  
"I just got to take care of something. Look we're all caught up on repairs just about. It was a light week, not knowing when you'd be back and all. So I gotta run and do this thing. I'll be back later. You got Pony here so you'll be able to finish that last car. Okay?"  
  
"But where are you going?" Soda called to him.  
  
"I'll tell you later." 


	10. 10

Chapter 10

Steve was nervous. Here he had made all these great plans, and during one little conversation, one he wasn't even part of, he decided to change them. Well, she'll either like it or hate it. Hopefully, she'll like it. It will solve the problem and she'll be happy. Or she'll think he's an idiot.

By the time he finished up his errand it was close to closing time. He went back to the DX and helped Soda and Pony finish up. They all headed back to the house after. Darry was already there cooking chicken. They had just sat down to eat when Evie walked in. 

"Hey. Where you been?" 

"I stayed late and worked part of the next shift." She told them, sitting down at the table. 

"You want some food Evie?" Darry asked her. 

"No, I ate at the diner." 

"Man," Two-Bit began. "You should have heard the old lady at the diner. Just going on about how great a waitress Evie is."

"Really? That's good." Darry said.

"How she's a natural and all." 

"Whatever." Evie mumbled, wishing he would just shut up. She knew he was trying to be nice. That he thought it was a good thing and all, but at this moment, after spending all day with Gladys, and hearing about the corns on her feet, her two cats and her sister's gallstone operation, the last thing Evie wanted to hear was this. 

"Yup! How great she is with the customers and all." Two-Bit kept going. 

"Just drop it Two-Bit." She told him, trying not to get upset. But the more she heard it the more she couldn't stand it. The last thing she wanted to be was the person Gladys was describing. Because actually, that was Gladys twenty years ago. The thought of turning into Gladys about made her cry.

"How she's such the little career girl and all now!"

"Shut up Two-Bit!" She snapped at him as she got up and opened the fridge and got herself a beer.

"Sorry! Didn't know telling people all the good stuff somebody said about you would be such a criminal offense!"

"I'm sorry." She told him. "I'm just tired." And I hate my life. And if I had to listen to one more word from you at this moment, I'll start bawling right here and now she thought.

"It's okay. You can make up for it by taking your little waitress extraordinar self back over to the fridge and grabbing me another beer." He laughed. 

That was it. She knew she was going to cry. And she refused to do it in front of all of them. Evie bolted up from the table and rushed out of the dining room, knocking her beer over as she did.

Everybody jumped as the beer spilt. Confused looks passed between them all as Steve ran after here. She had made it to the front porch by the time he caught her. "Evie what's the matter?"

She tried wiping at her eyes, but she knew her mascara was already running. "Nothing!" She pulled away from him and turned around. "I just, I just… Oh Steve!" She flipped around and threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. "I hate my life! I hate that job! I hate my life and I hate the idea of turning into Gladys in twenty years!"

"What?" He was confused. He knew she wasn't happy working there, but the Gladys part confused him.

"I mean what else am I gonna do? And in twenty years I'll be Gladys!" She sobbed into his shirt.

He knew all four of the guys were standing at the door and window listening to them, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it right now other than just to ignore them. He hugged Evie and tried to get her to stop crying. Damn, and here you had all these great plans. Well, if they weren't ruined before, they are now. But if this little scene on the porch didn't prove that maybe this was the best thing to do, nothing would. He still hadn't changed from work, so he reached into his pocket.

"Listen Baby, Evie, I um," he turned towards the front door. "Do you guys mind!" He yelled at them. Darry shooed Pony, Soda and Two-Bit out of the door, but Two-Bit and Soda ended up back at the window. Steve just continued on. "Look, I had these really great plans for this weekend and all. And I was gonna give this to you then, but maybe I better do it now." 

She just looked at him confused.

"Do you, um, do you um wanna get married?" 

Evie just stared at him for a second. "Really? You really want to get married?" 

"Yeah, I do. Not necessarily tomorrow, but yeah I do. So do you?" 

"Yes. I want to marry you." She finally stopped crying and smiled. 

By then Pony and Darry were even back at the front door listening. Pony had a huge stupid grin on his face. Steve kept trying to ignore them as he pulled the velvet box out of his pocket and held it up to her. 

"Oh Steve!" She exclaimed when she saw the box. She was about to open it, but he put his hand over hers and stopped her. 

"Listen, before you open this I gotta tell you something."   
  
"Oh man it's a hot ring!" Two-Bit laughed from the living room as Soda told him to shut up. 

Steve glanced quickly at the window before continuing. "Look, I know that marrying me isn't gonna make all that other stuff go away. But maybe this will."

Evie was still confused. Finally he moved his hand and let her open the velvet ring box. But inside it wasn't a ring. It was a very tightly folded up piece of paper.

"Oh man he got her a pawn ticket!" Two-Bit exclaimed as Darry smacked him upside the head and all three of the Curtis brothers told him to shut up this time.

Steve ignored them all and continued. "And I did buy you a ring. A nice one too. I got it a little bit ago. But I took it back. I got you this instead. Open it." 

Slowly Evie unfolded the paper. He had folded over many times to get it to fit into the ring box. "What is it?" She asked him as she stared at the paper.

"What's it say?" He grinned at her. 

  
"Tulsa Community College? But, how? Why?" 

"I took the ring back. I used part of the money to pay for the fall semester and the rest is for the spring semester. We'll worry about next year later. But you're registered. You're officially a student of Tulsa Community College. In the accounting program. I spent a long time there this afternoon talking to this guy. Telling him about you and all. He pulled up your application and signed you up for the classes you need for the accounting program. And it's set up so you can get an Associate degree in accounting, and then get a job. A real job. As an accountant. A real accountant. And then if you want, you can take night classes after that and get a four-year degree, later. He was telling me all about." 

"Oh my God Steve!" She threw her arms around his neck. "I love you so much! You are incredible!"

"Are you happy now baby?" He asked her as he kissed her. 

"You have no idea!" She kissed him back. "No idea!"

***************

Evie took her latest table's order and walked back toward the kitchen to put the order in. She looked down at her finger. Steve had taken her to the pawnshop that weekend and got her a ring. Not an engagement ring, but just a nice ring for $20. He wanted her to have something at least. She still couldn't get over him. Doing all that. Thinking to do all that. It was so un-Steve. 

She thought back to the last few weeks. How it all went back to her over hearing Susie talk about Sandy and the baby. If she hadn't found that out, none of this probably ever would have happened. Soda wouldn't have gone away, leaving Pony and Steve alone. And God knows unless they were forced together before that weekend, they certainly would never have had enough of a conversation for Pony to go to Steve and tell him about her getting into the community college.

"Well that's a girl in love if I've ever seen one." Gladys said to the other waitress who agreed with her. "That girl has had that sappy little grin on her face for days now." She laughed.

Evie laughed too. Gladys was right. She had been grinning for days now. Suddenly life looked so much better. She remembered just before graduation how all she wanted to do was marry Steve. Well now she was. But there was more to it than that. She was going to school and it was all because of him.

Yes life was better. Life was actually great. She was going to school. Steve was happy. Soda and Sandy were talking and happy. Pony and Steve were getting along. And she liked her job. Yup, she liked her job. Now that it wasn't going to be her career, she really liked it. She made good money. She was a good waitress. She even had fun. Plus she could still work some shifts after school started to keep making money, so yes, she liked her job. But she also knew it wasn't permanent. Which made her happy. Yup, life was good.

The End. 

A/N Well I hope you guys like this. I hope you're aren't disappointed that it wasn't really a Sandy/Soda fic. I never really intended for it to be. They were more of what it was going to take to move the plot along. Any way, I hope you liked it. Review and let me know please. 

Also, there may be a sequel coming in the future. I already have some ideas. 

Katie


End file.
